Black Holes and Quantum Cats: Tales from the Annals of Physics

Jennifer Ouellette, a journalist specializing in science topics, has assembled a wonderful collection of essays highlighting some key points in the history of physics. There’s the development of the microscope, Nikolai Tesla’s work with wireless communications, and Benjamin Franklin’s infamous experiment involving a kite, a key, and an electrical storm. Ouellette does a wonderful job of explaining scientific concepts like Einstein’s theory of relativity in terms normal people can understand. In the process, she makes a topic many people have gone to lengths to avoid uniquely interesting.